Teen urges others to sign up for marrow registry

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Maddie Tomasko, 13, is a healthy teenager but that wasn't always the case. Two years ago her mom got a terrible call.

"She was like on the phone with the doctor and she started freaking out. I was just sitting there, I didn't know what to do," says Maddie.

Maddie had leukemia and immediately started chemo treatment, but she needed something more--a bone marrow transplant from the bone marrow registry.

She found three matches but only one was able to donate, a young college student who signed up on the registry on a whim. Her donation saved Maddie's life and the two met up in New York with their moms by their side.

"I kinda just said 'hi.' My mom was crying, her mom was crying, I just said 'hi' like to any normal person and thank you a lot," says Maddie.

But Maddie's story doesn't end there. The whole family joined the bone marrow registry including her cousin Jason Walcott.

"Just seeing what she went through I thought it was the least I could do was try to help somebody else," says Walcott.

Just recently, Jason got a call of his own. A 57 year old male patient with multiple myloma was a match.

"I just hope it works for him like the bone marrow transplant that worked for Maddie," says Walcott.

This time a now healthy Maddie sat with Jason as he gave a life saving donation.

"It's cool to see both sides of the story-- the donors side, and the recipients side," says Maddie.

It's further proof to this family-- that good things happen when we stop to help others.